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Arts & creativity · Drawing & painting

Drawing What You See: A Practical Guide to Observational Drawing

Unlock your ability to draw accurately from life. This hands-on course teaches you to see like an artist, using simple techniques to capture shapes, light, and texture on paper. Perfect for beginners or those wanting to refresh their skills, with no prior experience needed.

360 min8 modulesBeginner friendly
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Free to take. This course does not use any Learning Credits.

What you’ll be able to do

By the end of this course, you will be able to produce a realistic observational drawing of a still life or everyday object, using basic measuring, shading, and perspective techniques.

Course outline

A clear route from first principles to practical confidence

  1. 01

    Module 1: Seeing with an Artist’s Eye

    • Lesson 1: What is Observational Drawing? – Shifting from ‘knowing’ to ‘seeing’
    • Lesson 2: Breaking Down Complex Forms into Simple Shapes
    • Lesson 3: Using Negative Space to Improve Accuracy
    • Lesson 4: Warm-Up Exercises: Blind Contour and Gesture Drawing
  2. 02

    Module 2: Measuring and Proportion

    • Lesson 1: Using a Pencil as a Measuring Tool
    • Lesson 2: Finding Angles and Alignments
    • Lesson 3: The Grid Method for Complex Subjects
    • Lesson 4: Practice Session: Drawing a Simple Still Life
  3. 03

    Module 3: Understanding Light and Shadow

    • Lesson 1: Identifying Light Sources and Core Shadows
    • Lesson 2: The Five-Value System: From Highlight to Deep Shadow
    • Lesson 3: Shading Techniques: Hatching, Cross-Hatching, and Blending
    • Lesson 4: Practice Session: Shading a Sphere and a Cube
  4. 04

    Module 4: Perspective and Depth

    • Lesson 1: One-Point Perspective: Drawing a Room or Corridor
    • Lesson 2: Two-Point Perspective: Drawing Boxes and Buildings
    • Lesson 3: Overlap, Size, and Detail to Suggest Distance
    • Lesson 4: Practice Session: A Simple Street Scene
  5. 05

    Module 5: Drawing Texture and Detail

    • Lesson 1: Observing and Capturing Surface Qualities: Smooth, Rough, Shiny
    • Lesson 2: Mark-Making Techniques for Fabric, Glass, and Metal
    • Lesson 3: Knowing When to Add Detail and When to Leave Out
    • Lesson 4: Practice Session: Drawing a Collection of Textured Objects
  6. 06

    Module 6: Drawing from Life: People and Nature

    • Lesson 1: Basic Human Proportions and Gesture Drawing
    • Lesson 2: Drawing Hands and Faces: Key Landmarks
    • Lesson 3: Capturing Plants, Leaves, and Flowers
    • Lesson 4: Practice Session: Drawing a Fellow Learner or a Houseplant
  7. 07

    Module 7: Composition and Focal Point

    • Lesson 1: The Rule of Thirds and Leading the Eye
    • Lesson 2: Cropping and Choosing Your Viewpoint
    • Lesson 3: Balancing Positive and Negative Space
    • Lesson 4: Practice Session: Composing a Still Life from Scratch
  8. 08

    Module 8: Putting It All Together – Your Final Drawing

    • Lesson 1: Planning Your Final Piece: Subject, Composition, and Approach
    • Lesson 2: Step-by-Step: From Block-In to Finished Shading
    • Lesson 3: Reviewing and Refining: Making Critical Adjustments
    • Lesson 4: Sharing and Reflecting: What You’ve Learned and Next Steps